Pringles Syndrome
1. "I'm only going to read until the end of the chapter, and then I'll go to bed." Ten minutes later..."Okay, the next chapter is really short, so I might as well finish it." Seven minutes later..."Cliffhanger?! Dammit! Well, now I have to read the next chapter." Twenty minutes later..."I've gotten this far, I might as well finish the book."
2. "I'll just watch until the end of this show. But I like the show that's coming up, now I can't go work."
3. I start out with a goal of twenty new rows, and end up with 3/4 of a scarf.
The above scenarios all have one thing in common: they are cases of Pringles Syndrome. Once you pop, you can't stop. The Pringles people don't lie, Pringles make you want to eat them until you have to wash it all down with Pepto Bismol. It's not uncommon to see someone go through an entire tube of them. They just seem so light, and their salty, crunchy goodness leads to continuous consumption. As a tangent, when you get Pringles wet, they turn white. I found that suspicious, but thankfully I had already finished the tube, so it didn't stop me from eating any Pringles.
Pringles syndrome is not limited to Pringles, however, as shown in the examples given at the beginning of the post. People naturally build up a momentum, whether it is reading a good book or sitting on their asses. It is not the same as falling into a pattern, it is that once one gets the ball rolling, it keeps rolling. This enables people to keep eating Pringles, even though they no longer taste good, and besides, the eaters are beginning to feel sick. This same trait allows me to read an entire book, even though my brain is making futile attempts to knock me out, and I'm not processing anything I'm reading. Something compels us to keep going. I have dubbed this thing, Pringles Syndrome.
Please note: Pringles Syndrome does not apply to things for which it would actually be useful to have Pringles Syndrome. Chief among these things is work. Pringles Syndrome is not falling into a rhythm, allowing one to finish a 15-page paper in one sitting, or the numbness and determination that allows people to run long distances. It is the excessive need to keep doing something stupid or only mildly productive (or in the case of Pringles, bad for you).
Here is an example of the proper usage of the phrase:
"Dude, you need to stop playing Myst. You've been at it for 12 hours. Don't you need to pee?"
"Stop talking to me! You're breaking my concentration."
"Step away from the computer."
"Back off! I'll be finished soon. Five minutes, tops."
"Sure, just like two hours ago. You've got total Pringles Syndrome."
2. "I'll just watch until the end of this show. But I like the show that's coming up, now I can't go work."
3. I start out with a goal of twenty new rows, and end up with 3/4 of a scarf.
The above scenarios all have one thing in common: they are cases of Pringles Syndrome. Once you pop, you can't stop. The Pringles people don't lie, Pringles make you want to eat them until you have to wash it all down with Pepto Bismol. It's not uncommon to see someone go through an entire tube of them. They just seem so light, and their salty, crunchy goodness leads to continuous consumption. As a tangent, when you get Pringles wet, they turn white. I found that suspicious, but thankfully I had already finished the tube, so it didn't stop me from eating any Pringles.
Pringles syndrome is not limited to Pringles, however, as shown in the examples given at the beginning of the post. People naturally build up a momentum, whether it is reading a good book or sitting on their asses. It is not the same as falling into a pattern, it is that once one gets the ball rolling, it keeps rolling. This enables people to keep eating Pringles, even though they no longer taste good, and besides, the eaters are beginning to feel sick. This same trait allows me to read an entire book, even though my brain is making futile attempts to knock me out, and I'm not processing anything I'm reading. Something compels us to keep going. I have dubbed this thing, Pringles Syndrome.
Please note: Pringles Syndrome does not apply to things for which it would actually be useful to have Pringles Syndrome. Chief among these things is work. Pringles Syndrome is not falling into a rhythm, allowing one to finish a 15-page paper in one sitting, or the numbness and determination that allows people to run long distances. It is the excessive need to keep doing something stupid or only mildly productive (or in the case of Pringles, bad for you).
Here is an example of the proper usage of the phrase:
"Dude, you need to stop playing Myst. You've been at it for 12 hours. Don't you need to pee?"
"Stop talking to me! You're breaking my concentration."
"Step away from the computer."
"Back off! I'll be finished soon. Five minutes, tops."
"Sure, just like two hours ago. You've got total Pringles Syndrome."
posted by Meredith at 7:20 AM
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